Lock for electric switches.



M T. WHITESELL, E. BFHYSELL & F. OSBORN.

LOOK FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. '2, 19M.

Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI 1v, VENTD R5; Marzlon 2" WA itcsell, EMMetBJjjaseZZ flit/RY Osborw I 2 E. B. HYSELL & F. OSBORN. LOCK FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

APPUCATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1914.

M. T. WHITESELL Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

9 D i 3 a q STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARION r. WHITESELL, EMMET B. insert, an!) FRANK INDIANA.

OSBORN, F BROAD RIPPLE,

LOCK FOR ELECTRIC $WITCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed September12, 1914. Serial No. 861,392.

., in many instances the vehicle. or boat is equipped with both magneto and battery.

The object of the invention is to provide acircuit breaker which is adapted to be. moved from a terminal in either battery or magneto-circuit, at will, to alternately connect either of said sources of current with the spark-plugs of the engine, or to cut them both out, and also to provide means for locking the circuit breaker in the last named situation, thereby preventing the operation of the engine so lqng as the circuitsv are broken and the circuit breaker locked.

. A further object of the inventionis to provide a combination lock for the above purpose having a plurality of notched rings, the notches of which are required to be brought into alinement by the proper manipulation of an externally exposed and numbered dial-plate before" the circuit breaker is unlocked, and to provide no other external means for the latter purpose, thereby rendering it impossible for one not in possession of the combination to operate the engine.

We accomplish the above, and other ob-- jects which will hereinafter appear, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying; drawings, in which- Fi ure '1 is a front elevation of a device embodying our invention. 1 Fig. 2 is a like view from the rear, and also. diagrammatt' cally illustrates the battery and "magneto I circuits and eng ne connections. Fig. 3 s a section on the line 33 of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. 'Fig. 5 is aview of the lock-portion shown in Fig. 4 with the bolt and outer notched ring removed, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to Fig. 2, 7 are the sparkp lugs-of a four-cylinder internal combustion engine, which plugs are electrically connected with a distributerS, in the usual manner. The distributer is connected by the conductor-wire 9, with a terminal 10 which is electrically connected through plate 11 with a swingingly, adjustable conductor 12, mounted onthe inner end. of a manually rocked shaft 13, gsee Fig. 6). The travel of the adjustable conductor 12 is limited by.

pins 14 and 15, (see Fig. 2), and adjacent the pin 14 is a terminal 16 which is grounded and forms the dead or inoperative posi-. tionof the conductor 12. Near the pin is a terminal 17, which is electrically com nected with a magneto-generator 18, and intermediate the terminals. 16 and 17 is a ter minal 19, which is electrically connected with a battery 20. The terminals are all insulated from each other and from the ground by a disk "21, of suitable material by which the parts are also supported, and

by an inner disk of insulation 22.

By suitably rockingthe shaft 13, the ad.

justable conductor 12 can be alternately brought into contact with terminal 17 completing the circuit between the magnet and erat'ive. The position of the shaft 13 and its conductor 12 is indicated by the wings .23, on the outer end of the shaft, aided by markers on the housing designated M, B and 011', which are opposite the ter- 'minals 17,19 and 16, respectively; j

' Our invention comprises, inaddition tothe'above' mechanism, means for. locking the shaft 13. with its conductor '12 3 on the grounded terminal :16 and the engine dead.

. 'in the respective larger rings and from the latter form the stops.

chordal planes which are parallel and enter the slot in the bolt with a sufiiciently close fit to keep the shaft from being rotated while in there.

Our invention also comprises means for shooting the bolt 24, here shown as a spindle 25, having an inner plate 26, bearing a pin 27, which takes in a slot 28 in the bolt24. The spindle has an outside knob 29, by which it is manually rocked, thereby swinging the plate 26 and shooting the bolt 24 in or out, as the case may be.

Our invention comprises means for so locking the spindle 25 that it cannot be rocked to shoot the bolt, and as a preferred means for this purpose on account of its convenience and safety, but not desiring to be limited thereto, we provide the three notched rings 30, 31 and 32,'independently rotatable about the. spindle. We also .provide a dog 33 which is pivotally attached to the plate 26 and has an edge which is adapted to enter said notches in the rings when all of the notches are inalinement, the dog being pressed by a spring to cause such entrance. The adjacent sides of the rings 30, 31 and 32 are provided with cooperating stops 34, wh-i ch inter-actin the usual manner to arrest the rings, rotated by spindle 25 with their slots in alinement, when the spindle is rocked predetermined distances. To enable the operator accurately to gage the rocking movement of the spindle we provide it with the exposed dial-plate 35, which is graduated and numbered for use in the usual and well kriown manner. The

stops for the two inner rings 31 and 32, are bent tongues on smaller concentric rings 36, which tongues pass through suitable holes pirojecting' 0 enable the combination to be changed the rings 31 and 32 will be provided with an annular series of such holes as shown in Fig. 5. The inner ring 36' next to the plate'26 is fixed to the shaft 25.

Which insulates the housing 38 from the.

ground. When the support 39 is a conduc tor of electricity it will be necessary to insulate the housing against ground-ing of current, in any usual and suitable manner.

those persons who are in possession of the,

combination can unlock the shaft 13 and start the engine by completing an electric circuit for sparking it.

While we have described our invention with more or less minuteness as regards de-' tails of construction and arrangement, and as being embodied in certain precise forms, we do not desire to be limited thereto unduly or any morethan is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary,-we contemplate all proper changes in form, construction, and arrangement, the omission of immaterial elements, and the substitution of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or necessity render expedient.

We claim: I

' 1. In a switch for connecting separately energized terminals with ,each other or with a grounded terminal, a rock-shaft having diametrically opposite flattened portions, a conductor swingingly adjustable from one of said terminals to the other by the rocking of the shaft, means to lock the shaft when the adjustable conductor is on the rounded terminal comprising an adjustable olthaving a slot to receive the squared portion of the shaft and hold the shaft from rocking in the outer shot position of the bolt, means to lock the bolt comprising a spindle having a knob on its outer end and a plate-on its inner end, said plate having a pin entering a slot in the bolt, and means whereby movement of the spindle will adjust the bolt to lock and unlock said rock-shaft.

2. In aswitch for connecting separately energized terminals with each other or with a grounded terminal, a rock-shaft having diametrically opposite flattened portions", a conductor swingingly adjustable from one of said terminals to the other by the rocking of the shaft, means to lock the shaft when the adjustable conductor is in contact with 4 said grounded terminal, said means comprising an adjustable bolt having a slot to receive the squared portion of.the shaft and hold the shaft from rocking in the outer position of the bolt, means to lock the bolt comprising a spindle having a knob on its outer end and a plate on its inner end, said plate having a pin entering a slot in the bolt,

notched rings through which the I spindle passes, a, spring-pressed dog pivoted to the plate and entering the notches of the rings in the alined position of the latter, and means by the rocking of the spindle to move the rings into position of alinement of their notches. v e

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals at Indianapolis, Indiana,

MARION T. VVHITESELL. EMMET B. HYSELL. FRANK OSBORN.

Witnesses:

F. W. WOERNER, I. L. LARSON.

of September, D.one thou 1t 

